Yad l'Yedinitz; memorial book
for the Jewish community of Yedintzi, Bessarabia

(Edineţ, Moldova)

48°10' / 27°19'

Translation of
Yad le-Yedinits; sefer zikaron le-yehudei Yedinits-Bessarabia

Edited by: Mordechai Reicher and Yosef Magen-Shitz

Published by: Yedinitz Society in Tel Aviv, 1973


 

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Allan Ira Bass

 

Emeritus Coordinator: Eric Schwartzman

 

Our deepest gratitude goes to Yvette Merzbacher and Ed Berkowitz for their amazing contributions being an essential part of the editing, reviewing, researching, communicating with our amazing translators and other Yedinitzers, for fundraising for this translation project, and for their great teamwork with the coordinator Allan Ira Bass, all to make the Yedinitz Yizkor book project happen. Without their ongoing support, this translation project would not exist.

Our sincere appreciation to Sondra Ettlinger and Stefanie Holzman for extracting the pictures from the original book, enabling their addition to the project.

 

This is a translation from: Yad le-Yedinits; sefer zikaron le-yehudei Yedinits-Bessarabia:
Yad l'Yedinitz; memorial book for the Jewish community of Yedintzi, Bessarabia,
ed. Mordechai Reicher and Yosef Magen-Shitz, Yedinitz Society, Tel Aviv, 1973 (H, Y)

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Edineţ

Purchase details for a printed copy of this translation can be found at http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/ybip/YBIP_Yedinitz.html


This material is made available by JewishGen, Inc. and the Yizkor Book Project for the purpose of
fulfilling our mission of disseminating information about the Holocaust and destroyed Jewish communities.
This material may not be copied, sold or bartered without JewishGen, Inc.'s permission. Rights may be reserved by the copyright holder.


JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material for verification.
JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions.
Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.


 

Cover Page (Y) Bet
[Yiddish]

Editors:

Mordechai Reicher Yosef Magen-Shitz
Who started the project Who completed the book
[Stamp:]

University of Tel Aviv

Surasky Library

Tel Aviv 5733 – 1973

Published

the Association of Yedinitz Emigrés

 

(H) = Hebrew; (Y) = Yiddish

[Cover Page] (H)   Aleph
[Cover Page] (Y)   Bet
[Dedication] (Y) (H)   Gimel
[Memorial Book Commitee] (Y) (H)   Dalet
[Map Page]   Vav
 
Introductory section
 
Introduction - Blessing upon Completion (H) Yosef Magen-Shitz 1
“My Hometown Yedinitz” (H) Yisrael Zemora 9
Annual meeting of expatriates of Yedinitz in Israel (pictures)   15
First Yahrzeit of Mordechai Reicher   17
Introductions - Blessings Upon Completion of Yizkor Book (Y) Yosef Magen-Shitz 19
Discussion Regarding Formation of Yizkor Book Committee (Y)   25
Pictures/ orchard in memory of the Yedinitz martyrs   29
Grave stones on the communal resting place in Yedinitz   31
 
Section One: Yedinitz - A Cut Off Shtetl (H, Y)
  • Founding and History
  • Between the Two World Wars
  • The Shimshon Bronstein Affair
 
Yedinitz – A destroyed Community
 
How old is the town and its Jewish settlement? (H) Yosef Magen-Shitz 35
Landscape and People in Town (H) Pinchas Mann-Meidelmann 43
Jews and Christians: The Relationship Between Neighbors (H) Mordechai Reicher 49
The History of Yedinitz until World War II (H) Chaim Horowitz 53
Jewish Community Leaders (H, Y) Chaim Horowitz 62
World War I, Revolution and Pogroms (H) Eliyahu Naor-Bitchutsky 67
Riots and More Riots (H) David Vinitsky 73
Where Are You, Jews of Yedinitz? How Were We To Bereave? (H) Aryeh Barad 81
Yedinitz in the Encyclopedia Judaica, Jerusalem 1972 (H,Y, English)   85
Yedinitz in Yizkor Books (Y)   87
The Joy of Our Town and of its Jewish Community (Y) Yosef Magen-Shitz 89
Landscape and People in Town (Y) Pinchas Mann-Meidelmann 97
Jews and Christians: The Relationship Between Neighbors (Y) Mordechai Reicher 105
On the Brink of Events (Y) Yosy Lande 109
World War I, Revolution and Pogroms (Y) Eliyahu Naor-Bitchutsky 115
Three Coffins - The Bloody Events of the Seventh day of Passover 1918 (Y) Moshe Kofit 121
The Execution of the Forty (Y) Golda Gutman-Krimmer 125
Martyrdom (Sanctification of G-d's Name) at the River (Y) Golda Gutman-Krimmer 127
Memoirs and Episodes (Y) Yosef Helfgott-Azariah 129
A word from a Yedinitz Émigré in Brazil (Y) Yosef Snitkowski 131
In Our Shtetl We Had… (Y) Gedalye Gruzman 133
A Life Which Shall Never Be Again (Y) Moshe Shuster 139
I Knew No Other Town (Y) Sender Harari-Hochberg 143
Once Upon A Time There Was a Town… (Y) Yosef Magan-Shitz 145
Shimshon: The Man and the Activist (H) Yosef Magen-Shitz 165
Shimshon Bronstein - Biographical Details (H)   167
Inquisitorial Oppression (H) David Vinitsky 175
Who Shimshon Was (H) Ephraim Shvartzman-Sharon 177
The Shimshon Bronstein Affair (Y) Yosef Magen-Shitz 181
Terror Against the Poalei Zion in Romania (Y) Yosef Magen-Shitz 183
 
Section Two: Economic, Intellectual, and Spiritual Life in Yedinitz (H,Y)
  • Domestic Economics, Society and Social Services
  • Health Care Institutions
  • Education, Culture and Theater
  • Teachers, Schools and the Gymnazia High School
  • Intellectuals / Spiritual Persons Religion
 
Chart: Status of Jewish Loan and Savings Fund in Yedinitz - as of 1/1/1929   192
Jewish Branches Shalom Caspi-Serebrenick 193
The Tobacco Crop in Our City Aharon Chachmovitch 197
Agricultural Workers, Field and Forest Contractors Shmuel Kormansky 211
Social Assistance Institutions Mordechai Reicher 213
The House for the Poor Menashe Halpern 215
 
Health Institutions in Yedinitz
Early Health Institutions Shmuel Kafri 219
The Yaakov Shimon Kaufman (Koifman) Hospital Mordechai Reicher 221
The Shmuel and Chava Loibman Jewish Hospital Sheindel Sadovnik-Berezin 223
The Sheindel Baum Organization Mordechai Reicher 229
Popular Medicine and Faith in Prayer Mordechai Reicher 231
Article about the passing away of R’ Shmuel Loibman Ch.Rakovsky 233
Chassidim Against the Enlightened at the End of the 19th Century Mordechai Reicher 235
 
Education and Culture
The Establishment of the Talmud Torah Public School   237
The Jewish Cheder in Yedinitz in the Last Century Yosef Diamant 243
Elementary Education Teachers and Talmud Teachers Shmuel Kafri 249
This is How they Taught Ephraim Schwartzman-Sharon 251
Dagous Shmulevitz, the Teacher M. R. 252
My Religious and Secular Teachers Dov Duri (Berl Dondushansky) 253
The Teacher and Writer Aryeh-Leib Yagolnitzer Achinoam Yagolnitzer 255
Jewish Education in 1914 A.I. Haivri (A.L. Yogolnitser) 257
The Teacher Yaakov Kizhner Alexander Melechson 259
The teacher Zvi Hersh Kusminer Alexander Melechson 260
The Public High School of R. Baruch Kutcher Leah Fuchs-Kutcher 261
My Father and Teacher, R. Moshe Leiderman (from Zamkhov) and his Family Yitzchak Bar-Samcha 263
The Teacher Noach Leiderman Ephraim Sharon 267
Hillel Dubrow – Highlights of His Life Shimshon Nachmani 269
A Zealot and a Companion Shimshon Bronstein 271
Article about the passing away of the teacher Tziporah Feige Dubrow   272
The Teacher Mordechai Reicher 273
Exemplary Figure Eliyahu Naor-Bitchutsky 275
The Teacher Baruch Yeshchikman Yosef Magen-Shitz 277
Echoes from the Past – articles in newspaper   279
The Researcher and Linguist Yisrael Toporovsky Yisrael Zamora 281
The Gymnasia High School – Its Beginning And End   285
The Beginning of the Gymnasia Chaim Horvitz 287
Studies, Discipline and General Spirit Attorney Meir Weissman 289
Gymnasia Teachers Yosef Magen-Shitz and Mordechai Reicher 291
Jewish Teachers Yosef Magen-Shitz and Mordechai Reicher 295
The End of the Gymnasia and The End of Hebrew Education in Yedinitz Frieda Meital-Kuzminer 297
Kindergartens in Yedinitz   299
Public Libraries Mordechai Reicher 301
Maccabi and Sports Activities Meir Weissman 303
Newspapers appearing in Yedinitz   305
Student Organizations Concerned with Social and Cultural Affairs Levi Leon Trachtenbroit 307
Theater 1901-1940   311
 
The theatrical activity in Yedinitz
Theater Lovers in Yedinitz Pinchas Mann (H) 313
Theater Activity in Yedinitz: A summary of the Hebrew article Pinchas Mann-Meidelman (Y) 315
The Evening Is Shot Mendel Shitz 323
The “Troublemaker” Drama Club Avraham Gold 329
 
Writers and Intellectuals
Names We Are Proud Of Alexander Melechson 331
Yehuda Steinberg in Yedinitz Mordechai Reicher 337
Yehuda Steinberg, Menashe Halpern and Ezriel Adelman   339
My Years in Yedinitz Menashe Halpern 341
Biographical Notes on Menashe Halpern   344
Eliezer Steinberg in Yedinitz Asher Goldberg 345
Yehuda-Leib Grozman Alexander Meilechson 347
Biographical Notes on Y. L. Grozman   349
After the Performance (Memories of my Leibele with sadness and pain) Gedaliah Grozman 352
 
Religion, Synagogues and Teachers
The Great Synagogue (H) Mordechai Reicher 353
Article in “Hatzefirah”   355
The Great Synagogue (Y) Mordechai Reicher 357
Correspondence in the Warsaw Hatsefira of November 14/26, 1878 about the establishment of the Yedinitz synagogue.   359
The Kinska Synagogue Mordechai Reicher 363
The Old Synagogue Moshe Furman 365
A Unique Document About the Jews of Yedinitz (1913) Baruch Blank at the school of Yaakov Lerner 367
Report on Contributions From Yom Kippur Eve 1913   369
Cantors in and from Yedinitz Moshe Furman 371
Synagogues in Yedinitz Yosef Magen-Shitz 373
The Gaon R' Yechiel Michel Burstein, z”l Mordechai Reicher 375
The Rabbinical Judge R. Shmuel Ephraim Schwartzman 380
The Community Yosef Magen-Shitz and Mordechai Reicher 381
Complaints and intrigues regarding the “korobka” (1929)   384
 
Section Three: Life in Yedinitz (H,Y)
  • Personalities and Families
  • Tales and Folklore
  • Jews in the Surrounding Villages
 
Way of Life / Personalities and Families
Purim Carnival (pictures)   387
People, Facts and Events Yosef Magen-Shitz 389
Three Families - Three Great Arbitrators Asher Goldberg 411
Two In-laws and the Whole Family Under the Same Roof Asher Goldberg 419
Announcers (“Carozim”) Pinchas Mann (H) 421
The Palm Reader of Yedinitz Yosef Diamand 423
A True Story … Moshe Furman 425
There Were Those Types, Too Pinchas Mann (H) 431
Proclamations Pinchas Mann (Y) 435
There Were Those Types, Too Pinchas Mann (Y) 437
Wagon Drivers, Electricity, and Water Porters Natanel Shachar 441
Stories of Life (Excerpted from the book, Yedinitz, My Home, Buenos Aires, 1946) Golda Gutman-Krimmer 447
A Wedding in the Shtetl Golda Gutman-Krimmer 447
The Beilis Trial in Yedinitz Golda Gutman-Krimmer 451
There Was a Jew in the Town… (Episodes of the Past) Moshe Furman 453
Nicknames in Yedinitz   455
 
The Jews of the Nearby Villages
Zobrichan and its Jews Eliezer Ro'i-Reich 459
The Home of the Ritual Slaughter Lerner in Zobrichan Tsadkanit Horowitz (formerly Fradya Lerner) 463
The Jews from the Villages of Golian and Russen   465
The Admor of Shtefanesht — A Guest in the Village of Galian Yosef Diamant 467
 
Section Four: Ideological Currents (H,Y)
  • Zionism Political Parties and the Youth
  • The Left and the Communists
  • In the Eyes of Visitors
 
Zionism
Illustrative Numbers David Vinitsky 471
Zionism in Yedinitz   473
Zionist Groups in Yedinitz at the End of the 19th Century   476
The Zionist Movement in Yedinitz (Organizations, Events and Activists) Mordechai Reicher 477
Sha'arei Zion and Youth of Zion M. Forman 480
From a Kakal (Keren Kayemet to Israel) fundraiser stories Reuven Gertzman 488
Yedinitz in the Newspapers   491
Zionist Women's Movement in Yedinitz   493
“Dunam's enterprise” from 1931   495
Tzeirei Zion” In Yedinitz Yitzchak Bar-Zion – Borochin 499
Poalei Zion” in Yedinitz Moshe Magen-Shitz 501
Poalei Zion” in Yedinitz before World War I Shmuel Kafri (Darf) 504
A Yedinitzer from Argentina Z. Abramowitz 507
Reorganization of the Poalei Zion Shimshon Bronstein 508
Hachalutz and the First Pioneers from the Sons of Yedinitz Mordechai Reicher 509
Meetings With Pioneers Mordechai Reicher 517
 
Zionist Youth Movements
The First Youth Organizations Eliyahu Naor-Bitchutsky 523
Fifteen-Year-Old “Delegates” at the Kishinev Conference (Episodes of the “Hagibor” Youth Organization) Mordechai Reicher 525
The Hatechiya Youth Organization Ephraim Schwartzman-Sharon 529
Reading Evenings (pictures)   531
Attempts to Establish a Chapter of Hashomer Hatsa'ir Eliezer Ro'i-Reich 533
Youth Groups and Students in the 1930s (pictures)   535
Hachaver - Beginnings of Gordonia Dov Dori-Dondushansky 539
Gordonia – Activities, Activists and Trifles Reuven Gertzman 543
Ten Years of Gordonia Pinchas Mann 549
An Obligation Fulfilled Asher Goldenberg 552
“Poalei Zion” and the “Dror” Youth Movements Yosef Magen-Shitz 553
 
The Left and the Communists in Yedinitz
The Illegal Progressive Workers' Groups Moshe Shuster 561
Revolutionary Poems in Old Yedinitz   569
Natives of Yedinitz in Paris Moshe Shuster 571
 
As Seen by Visitors
A Visit to Yedinitz – An Unforgettable Experience Rabbi Dov Burstein 575
Yedinitz – An Unforgettable Town Dr. Michael Landau 577
Reports of the 1929 riots in Palestine   579
A Town Permeated with Judaism and Zionism Meir Zeit 581
 
Section Five: In Memory of the Fallen (H,Y)
  • Those Who Fell in Israeli Wars
  • Yedinitzers – Extraordinary People, In the Land of Israel
  • Personalities and Characters
 
Those Who Fell in Israeli Wars
Israel-Uli Schwartz 588
Israel-Yaakov Berman 589
Meir Tepper 589
Reuven Pittal 590
Raziel Rosenthal 591
Eliyahu Rosenberg 592
Yona Shkolnik 594
Lieutenant Eitan Harari 595
Dov Markovitz 596
Zalman Yitzhaki 597
The brothers Amos and Oded Schwartz 599
“The Brothers' Home” in Kibbutz Nir-Am 602
In Memory of the victims of the mine in the Jordan Valley 607
The trio from Kibbutz Masada Yissaschar Rosenthal 607
The monument in the cemetery of Kibbutz Masada 608
Eliyahu Naor (Bitchutsky) 609
Dov Dori (Berel Dondushansky) 611
The Dream That Disappeared Liuba Dori 612
Eliyahu Naor (Eli Bitchutsky) and Dov Dori (Berl Dondushansky) Yosef Magen-Shitz 613
 
Yedinitzers – Extraordinary People, In the Land of Israel
Ezriel Adelman – A Man of The First Aliyah Asher Goldenberg 617
Dr. Yehudit Kozlova [Kuka Pizelman] – The Olah on the “Russlan Yosef Magen-Shitz 619
Dr. Yehudit Kozlova [Kuka Pizelman] – The Olah on the “Russlan Yosef Magen-Shitz 623
Yitzchak Rosenthal-Raziel – A Man of The Second Aliyah 625
Liova Gokovsky – The Parachutist Beyond the Nazi Lines Yosef Magen-Shitz 627
Aryeh-Leib Fichman 630
A Tear for A Friend Who Is Gone Aryeh Bard 637
Liova Gukovsky - The Parachutist Behind Nazi Lines Yosef Magen-Shitz 639
In Memory of Mordechai (Motya) Reicher Yosef Magen-Shitz 647
“Beit Neta” and its Director Yosef Magen-Shitz 650
The Person with the Extra Soul Pinchas Mann 651
Mordechai Reicher Yosef Magen-Shitz 655
Avishag (Shagi) Reicher Yosef Magen-Shitz 659
Our Daughter Avishag – A year after she passed away Mother and Father 662
Mordechai (Motya) Reicher- Friend, Culture Provider and Writer Yosef Magen-Shitz 663
 
Personalities and Characters
The Axelrod and Lerner Families Leybush Segal 667
Fruma Blickstein Aryeh Bard 668
Aryeh-Leib Bard Yosef Magen-Shitz 669
R' Baruch Blanc and his family Dr. Elimelech Blanc 671
Adina Kreiner born Boroshin Itzhak Bar-Razon 675
Sara Goldenstein-Mankovsky Shalom Caspi 675
R' Yekutiel Dorf Meir Shloch 676
The dynasty of R' Yona Shochat Gerstein Yeshayahu Vinitsky 677
R' Chaim Weinschenker Ita Mishori (Weinschenker) 680
Yossale Sonnenschein Pinchas Man 681
Moshe Teperman Ephraim Benderman, Meir Shiloach 683
Shmuel Itzhaky Aryeh Bard 686
Family Caspi-Serebrenick Shalom Caspi 687
R. Shmuel Ludmir A. Sharon-Schwartzman 689
Shmuel Loibman Pinchas Man 691
Avrahamel Milgrom Asher Goldenberg 692
The Family of R. Itzhak Melechson Alexander Melechson 695
Kalman Ben Ze'ev Meidelman   695
The Fradis Family Asher Goldenberg 699
David Kalis Y. Magen 700
Zvi Rosenthal Avram Schwartzman (Sharon) 702
Esther Rosenberg YM”G (Yosef Magen-Shitz) 703
Israel Millman Chaya 703
Zvi Rosenberg (Hirsch Kassiles) Chaya Cheruti 704
Reb Yaakov son of Matityahu Schwartzman 705
My sister Leah (Lea'kle) Schwartzman Ephraim Schwartzman (Sharon) 708
Reb Mordechai Sheindelman Mordechai Reicher 709
Memories From My Father's House Menachem-Anshel Shani (Sheindelman) 710
Menachem-Anshel Shani (Sheindelman) 711
Moshe Shteinburtz Mordechai Reicher 712
Moshe (Moshke) Shitz Yosef Magen-Shitz 715
Yaakov Magen Yossel 719
Yosef Shpier and His Enterprise Efraim Schwartzman (Sharon) 719
Ben-Zion Tieman Shoshana Tieman-Kogan 721
 
Section Six: The Holocaust (H,Y)
  • The Martyrology of the Yedintz Jews
  • Death, Forced Marches, and Survival
  • Yedinitz after the Shoah
Map of the expulsion, the wanderings, and the destruction   727
Holocaust of the Jews of Yedinitz
A general overview according to survivors; the Soviet conquest; As the war began; first days of the Romanian-German conquest; the expulsion; path of suffering; in Camp Vertujeni and Kashautz forest; across the Dniester; in concentration camps and ghettos in Transnistria; withdrawal and liberation; how did the few survive?
Mordechai Reicher 729
Yedinitz 1945-1946 (pictures)   747
The Martyrology of the Yedinitz Jews: A General Overview According to Witnesses - Compiled Mordecai Reicher 749
The Outbreak of War   755
Robbery, Murder & Atrocities   761
The Expulsion   771
The Road of Tribulation   777
Crossing the Dniester   790
In The Ghettos of Transnistria   803
Mohilov (Mogilov)   809
How Did The Remnants Survive   819
Editorial Comment   825
 
The Years Following the Shoah:
Yedinitz as a Soviet Village - Discussions with New Arrivals   827
Yiddishkeit in Yedinitz Under the Soviets   835
 
Yedinitz Community Workers and Personalities in South America
Yosef Teperman, z”l; Zalman Teperman,z”l; Antonietta and Leon Fefer; Mordechai Lechtermacher,z”l; Yosef Lerner, z”l; Tuli Lerner and Tani z”l; Hayale Lerner z”l; Yitzhak z”l and Tzivia Brand; Clara and David Kalmanovich; Tuli and Mara Meiler; Rosa Zager-Weisberg; Idel Breitman; Eliezer Zilberman; Yosef and Sosya Snitkovsky; Isadora Shansky (Dondushansky); Shmuel and Haya-Riva Schneider; David and Raquel Brand; Heinich Akerman; Henriques(Hersh) and Ida Kuperschmid; Pessach Fishman; Dr. Salvador Rosenthal; Shmuel Meiler and Sonia z”l; Avraham-Yitzhak Volevitch; Shmuel Vineshenker
  847
 
Section Seven: Memorial Pages
Relatives Memorialize their Dead   869
 
Who is Who Among the Participants in the Book   1001
Lists of pictures and printer's engravings   1005
Table of Contents   1015

 


 Yizkor Book Project    JewishGen Home Page  


Yizkor Book Director, Lance Ackerfeld
Emerita Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field
Contact person for this translation Allan Ira Bass
This web page created by Osnat Ramaty

Copyright © 1999-2024 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 2 Feb 2023 by LA